The 2020 South by Southwest Panel “Reviving Japanese Sake, Food, and Farm Traditions” was not held in person due to the Pandemic and cancelling of the SXSW Festival. The Panel, featuring Hakkaisan’s Global Brand Ambassador Timothy Sullivan, was, however, recorded and is now available online for on demand viewing.
About the Panel:
Japan’s population, along with the vitality of its rural areas, are in decline. Farmers and brewers are aging out, often with no one to follow in their footsteps. Against this bleak backdrop, who are the young innovators injecting new life into ancient traditions? In the world of sake, a new generation of young heirs is experimenting with techniques borrowed from French winemaking and reintroducing a lost regionality to the beverage by reviving local heirloom grains. They’re also inspiring a crop of international sake brewers. We’ll also hear about how rural farmers and food producers, by collaborating with experts in agriculture and other fields, have successfully launched a profusion of value-added products, giving their local culture and economies a new lease on life.
Visit the SXSW Panel page:
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/PP1133386
Visit the Panel On Demand Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ye4Mj0B_RA
Have you heard of Hakkaisan Amasake before? This nutritious, non-alcoholic rice drink with no added sugar is ubiquitous in Japan, but not yet well known in the States. It is healthy, delicious and a great example of a beneficial fermented food.
We will release a new Hakkaisan Daiginjo and Hakkaisan Junmai Daiginjo on August 20th, 2020.
Hakkaisan VP Masato Nagumo joins Sake School of America educator Timothy Sullivan in a one hour webinar live from the Hakkaisan Yuki Muro or Snow Storage Cellar. The hourlong presentation is part interview with Nagumo-san, part tour and part guided tasting. If you missed the live broadcast, you can watch the replay right here. Please enjoy this video if you want to learn more about Niigata Prefecture and about Hakkaisan general.
On March 6th, 2020, the TEXSOM International Wine Awards announced the winners for 2020. We are pleased to share that Hakkaisan received two Gold Medal awards. One gold for 
Sparkling Sake is nothing new, but Hakkaisan has challenedged itself to raise the bar and create a premium sparkling sake of note. The result is Hakkaisan’s AWA clear Sparkling Junmai Ginjo sake, which made it’s debut in the US market on June 5th. AWA means bubble, and that is the starting point that explains why this sake is different. Hakkaisan uses an in-bottle secondary fermentation to create CO2 through natural fermentation. This produces a fine and elegant bubble that can best be achieved in this way. The sake is lightly sweet up front with a clean finish and an overall light impression. Perfectly refreshing!
Hakkaisan AWA arrived in the USA with a special guest – Mr. Shigemitsu Nagumo, the Toji or Master Brewer at Hakkaisan Brewery. Mr. Nagumo came to New York to introduce the locals to Hakkaisan’s new and premium sparking sake. The launch event was held on the St. Cloud rooftop bar of the Knickerbocker hotel in Times Square. In his short remarks to the guests, Mr. Nagumo told everyone that this event in New York was one of the most fun events he has attended in his career and with a sincere thank you, he got the event off to a great start with a hearty “Kanpai!” (cheers!). It was a beautiful summer’s evening at sunset as guests gathered to try AWA served chilled and crisp into flutes which helped all to enjoy the aroma, taste and presentation of this new premium sparkling sake. Guests commented on the light taste and balance of this new premium sparkling. 
